Bonus Episode! with Kofuzi – Details, episodes & analysis

Rory Linkletter is a pro marathoner for Puma who recently went to Japan with breaking the Canadian Half Marathon record as a B goal for the race. In this bonus episode, we talk about the depth of Japanese road racing, Pocari Sweat, and where Rory sits on the list of Top 5 Half Marathon YouTubers

0:00 intro

1:13 Pocari Sweat

2:18 why Marugame

4:18 how important was depth of field

6:07 race recap

8:59 how do you get through the rough patches

10:05 runner math

11:30 turning towards Boston

13:21 watch first or photo first?

14:29 participant medal

15:39 race shoes

17:06 fall marathon plans

18:16 Top 5 YouTubers List

Follow Rory on Strava https://www.strava.com/pros/9351341

Follow Rory on IG https://www.instagram.com/rory_linkletter/

Rory’s Marugame Reel https://www.instagram.com/p/DFoIMXQy4zO/ 

Rory’s Japan Running News Interview https://www.instagram.com/p/DFjgxhbPspv/

note: the Top 5 Half Marathon YouTubers list is an informal list I keep on a sheet of scrap paper. But there are some loose rules. 

(1) Old PB's are ok, but the runner can't be retired

(2) the athlete must have their own YouTube channel. People who are on YouTube in other channels' videos don't qualify (like Conner Mantz). I also don't count group/team YouTube accounts, like Reed Fischer of Tinman Elite, but I may change my mind on that later

(3) the athlete needs to have posted at least once to their YouTube channel within the last 12 months

Yo, what's goin on. This is the intro episode for this new podcast, which really, is just a spinoff from the Kofuzi Run Club podcast. Over there, we had two main kinds of content, livestreams and athlete interviews, and the two audiences were sometimes quite different. So for the sake of clarity, I'm splitting out the athlete interviews to this new podcast. So if all you wanted was the bonus episodes, Bonus Episode! with Kofuzi is the podcast for you. Thank you for listening.

Allie Ostrander, professional runner for Oiselle, recently ran her half marathon debut in Mesa. In this bonus episode, we talk about her race, the shoes she races and trains in, her new contract with Oiselle, and where she sits on the Top 5 Fastest YouTubers: Half Marathon list

0:00 intro

1:05 race recap

5:42 shoe rotation

8:03 Oiselle

10:00 How much did Allie's variety of running come into contract discussions

11:30 How important is social media for pro runners

13:18 what kinds of running makes Allie excited

14:28 Top 5 Fastest YouTubers - Half Marathon

follow Allie!

youtube https://www.youtube.com/ @allie_ostrander 

IG https://www.instagram.com/allie_ostrander/

Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/111680667

I went to Atlanta to cover the USATF Half Marathon Championships. I was able to get into the mix zone and speak with athletes after the race, and those interviews have gone up individually on social media. But I wanted to provide an audio only version for listeners of the podcast. Hope you enjoy.

0:00 intro

0:50 Reed Fisher

2:34 Dakotah Popehn

3:59 Annie Frisbie

5:46 Emma Grace Hurley

8:16 Amanda Vestri

9:38 Habtamu Cheney

12:25 Clayton Young

16:59 closing thoughts

In this episode, I talk with John Korir, your 2025 Boston Marathon Champion. We talk about meeting his brother at the finish line, the shoes he raced in, and the big ambitious goal he has his sights set on next.

In this Bonus Episode! I talk with Jess McClain, a professional marathoner for Brooks. She recently raced in the USATF Half Marathon Championships, which was her half marathon debut (kinda*). She finished 4th, which made her the 1st alternate for Team USA at the World Road Championships to be raced later this year. 

0:00 intro

2:11 what shoes did she run in today

2:41 Jess's shoe rotation

3:24 Launch 11 vs Hyperion

4:39 debut half marathon

5:11 rock n roll half marathon

6:26 racing incognito

7:48 atlanta half marathon build

9:18 race plan for atlanta

12:26 was the cold a factor at the start line

14:30 very roomy start line

15:10 fast start

16:45 chasing an American Record Holder

18:48 finishing 4th 

20:50 finish line 

22:56 having fun

25:10 hyperion elite 4pb vs 5

26:51 why sign with brooks twice?

32:18 half marathon vs 10k or full mara

33:13 goals for The Ten

34:19 goals for boston

36:27 des linden

38:26 team McClain

Reed Fischer recently ran in the World Marathon Championships in Tokyo 2025. It was a painfully hot day on the course with about a third of the field DNFing. Reed finished as second American but that only got him 28th place overall. In this interview, we'll discuss Reed's heat training, his race, his plans for a fall marathon, and of course, his favorite shoes.

Reed Fischer on IG

https://www.instagram.com/reedfisch/

I had a chance to sit down with Clayton Young in Tokyo the day after he finished as Top American and 9th overall in the Mens World Championships Marathon Tokyo 2025. We go over the ice hats, the fall, and how he feels about 9th place in his second international race. 0:00 intro0:32 race morning recovery score1:05 altitude camp3:03 return to tokyo5:40 Tokyo crowd support6:56 the hats10:19 aid stations11:27 when did the big pack break12:41 injury list15:23 the fall18:58 race day shoes21:30 how does he feel about 9th25:02 lead car duties25:51 extending japan stay

Earlier this year, I had a chance to speak with multiple ASICS athletes ahead of the Tokyo Speed Race, a 5k and 10k event designed to break records and PBs while debuting the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and Metaspeed Edge Tokyo. The athletes I had a chance to speak with were

Drew Hunter

Biya Simbassa

Matt Richtman

Emma Grace Hurley

Makenna Myler

Interview date: May 2025

I recently had the chance to visit Brooks HQ in Seattle, and while there, I spoke with the Brooks athlete who will be representing Team USA for the World Championships Marathon in Tokyo. And four of the six Team USA members are Team Brooks! Erika Kemp, CJ Albertson, Susanna Sullivan, and Jess McClain. We talked about how they'll be preparing for Tokyo, which shoes they'll be running and training in, and then we play a little game. 0:00 intro0:53 Erika Kemp14:28 CJ Albertson28:17 Susanna Sullivan38:58 Jess McClainInterview date: June 17, 2025Edited by Brandon Rossi